PASSION

I like the heavier way Pendragon re-invented themselves in the Naughties--and it continues here only with far more catchy melodies. Great sound production and engineering creativity. And I love Nick Barrett's mastery of the electric guitar solo (though there is far less of it on display here than what is typical for a Pendragon album).

1. "Passion" (5:27) industrial-style rhythmic foundation over which Nick delivers an awesome vocal. Wow! What a start! If the rest of the album lives up to this high it will be amazing! The heavy PT/metal influences are showing. (9/10)

2. "Empathy" (11:20) (17.5/20)

3. "Feeding Frenzy" (5:47) nice multi-faceted song. (8.5/10)

4. "This Green And Pleasant Land" (13:13) INCREDIBLE lyrics; pretty song. (22.5/25)

5. "It's Just A Matter Of Not Getting Caught" (4:41) (8.75/10)

6. "Skara Brae" (7:31) heavy but lushly "orchestrated" and vocalized with plenty of melodic lines and dynamic shifts. Lots of signs of mature song construction and confident performance skills. (13/15)

7. "Your Black Heart" (6:46) harkens back to Gabriel-era GENESIS with its sensitive picked acoustic guitar start and vocal. The dominant chords (basically, two) over the entire song give it a ?And Then There Were Three... or TONY PATTERSON feel--very much like a FLOWER KINGS song passage. Almost a reprise of "This Green And Pleasant Land." (12.75/15)

Total Time: 54:45

After starting off with such a bang, the album started to peter out and soften noticeably as one approached the end.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music and a shining example of mastery of a cross-sampling of styles though still well within the Neo Prog umbrella.